Broken Hearts Need Mending
by President-Of-S.P.E.W
Summary: Begins right after the final battle. Hermione reflects on everything that has happened as she bathes, only to be inturrupted by Ron. Ron x Hermione  Reviews would be lovely! & I don't own anything but this plot! Ch. 7 Update is Up!
1. Chapter 1

I looked down at my trembling hands as I stopped removing my clothes. The battle had been won; we had been successful. The world was finally rid of Voldemort and I supposed that I should be happy. I just couldn't bring myself to be so.

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as I turned off the many water faucets. I hadn't had a warm bath for longer than I could bare to remember, so after asking permission, Professor McGonagall had given me the password to the Prefect's bathroom. I felt a great deal of guilt, though. How dare I relax when so many were distraught; when so many were…dead.

I wiped away the tear that made its way down my cheek furiously. It wasn't fair. It really just wasn't fair. How could these good and brave people, who were so much better than anyone who'd supported Voldemort, die? I thought of Collin Creevy, how young he was. He was much too young to die. I immediately felt horrible for all of the times that I had internally complained about how annoying he was. He was someone to look up to. Someone that I should want to be like. My thoughts turned to Lupin and Tonks, how they had just brought a little boy into the world and they would never get to hold him again. That little boy would grow up without a mother or father. It just didn't seem right. How could this seem right to anyone?

I removed my remaining clothing and shakily lowered my abused body into the hot water, gritting my teeth against the pain. I sat there for a moment, and thought of Fred. The tears broke free from my eyes and fell into the steaming water. I grew up with this boy. The greater part of my childhood and teenage years were spent knowing him. I mourned for Fred, for George, for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I mourned for the whole Weasley family. But most of all, I mourned for him. I mourned for Ron.

I'd never seen someone so broken. His beautiful blue eyes didn't have their usual glow and his lips, the one's I had finally had the chance to kiss, were pressed together so tightly, I wondered if they'd ever turn up into my favorite crooked grin again.

A loud sob that had built up in my chest broke free, echoing throughout the marble room. I held my aching chest tightly, feeling broken. Things would never be the same again. I knew that we had never been normal, that none of us had ever experienced a safe year whilst we'd known each other, but we hadn't experienced pain such as this. This was too much to bare.

I sat there for what seemed like eternity, the bath water fading from hot to luke warm. I took a deep breath, taking the shampoo and scrubbing my head as hard as I could, following that by taking a harshly rough washing pad and rubbing my skin until it was red and raw. I felt so dirty, as if I'd never be clean again.

I drained the tub and got out, letting the chilly air hit my wet body as I stood there, staring at myself in the mirror. My body was covered in cuts and bruises; I knew my parents would be mortified if they saw me.

'_They wouldn't know who I was_' I reminded myself. I prayed I'd be able to find them and reverse the spell. Before I could dwell on these thoughts too much, there was a quiet knock at the door. I jumped staring at the door, unable to speak. I grabbed my wand and quickly wrapped a towel around my body.

"'Mione?" A broken voice called from the other side of the door. "Are you alright?"

I didn't even think before I sprinted over to the door and tugged it open. My heart ached when I saw him, still dirty from the battle. Dried blood covered various parts of his body and there were steaks on his blackened face where the tears had fallen. His wand was gripped in his hand and once he saw me, he lowered it, his whole body seeming to relax.

"Oh, Ron." I hugged him around his middle, holding him tight. I felt his body tense up as he wrapped his arms back around me. We stayed that way for a while before I remembered that I was only in a towel.

"You should probably get dressed." He echoed my thoughts quietly.

I looked up at him, seeing a tad bit of pink under the dirty on his cheeks. I felt myself blush as well before I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bathroom with me.

"'Mione, what are you-" He stuttered.

"Neither of us needs to be alone right now." I told him as I grabbed the clothes that a house elf had brought me. Even though they had been told that they had a choice to leave or fight, not a single one had abandoned us. Even now, with some of their fellow elves dead, they lived to serve. I ignored this; the last thing on my mind right now was S.P.E.W.

"I'll turn around." He whispered. He did so, standing almost completely still, the only movement coming from his shoulders moving with every shaky breath he took.

I quickly put my clothes on, ignoring the protests from my pained body. I could deal with all of that later. Right now, I only needed Ron. I grabbed my wand and pointed it at my head, muttering a simple spell that would detangle and dry my hair for me. "I'm finished." I told him.

He turned back around and it broke my heart, seeing his eyes watering again. He sniffed and refused to look at me.

Part of me was unsure of what to say, or if I should say anything at all. Instead of thinking about it, I just took another step towards him and started trying to pull his shirt off.

His expression immediately changed as he looked down at me with shocked eyes. "'Mione?"

"You should take a bath, y-you'll feel much better." My arms fell slightly, but my hands were still gripping the damaged fabric. I'd do anything to make him feel better and it seemed that the bath had helped me, at least for a minute.

He watched me for a moment, his eyebrows pulled together. He simply nodded and placed his hands over mine. "I'll do this if you'll run the bath for me."

The lump in my throat came back and I squeezed his hands before turning around and hurrying over to the tub again. I sat there and watched the water falling, wishing that it could clean the inside of us too. When the bathtub was a little more than 2/3 of the way full, I turned the water off.

"W-will you close your eyes?" He asked nervously.

"Yes." I promised, closing my eyes tight. We were rather close, as was expected after what we had been through, but there was still that awkward feeling between us at times. I welcomed it with open arms, as it reminded me of when things were much simpler. I heard him get into the water and sink into it.

"You can open your eyes now." He said softly.

I did without saying anything and just looked at him. The bubbles didn't reach as far on him as they did when I was in there, only coming up right over his bellybutton. I could see the clearly defined muscles in his arms and chest. I could tell where this shirt had been, as there was an obvious line between his pale and freckled skin and the blackened skin from the battle. I noticed that he'd rubbed his face with the water and only a little of the black was still there.

"You're staring, 'Mione." The corners of his lips turned up ever so slightly, making my heart nearly jump out of my chest.

"Sorry." I said quickly, adverting my gaze immediately.

His wet hand reached out and laced his fingers with mine. I smiled at the gesture and looked back up at him.

"I was worried about you." He told me.

I felt my eyebrows pull together. Of all things, he was worried about _m_e_? _"What?"

"You just disappeared." He explained me. "No one knew where you went so I was worried."

"I didn't think you guys would have wanted to be bothered." I whispered.

His face hardened and he looked away for a second. "You can't bother me."

I sat there a minute and watched him, before getting up and walking over to the drawer, pulling out a clean washcloth. He watched me as I walked back and gave me a questioning look. "You've got dirt on your nose." I told him matter-of-fact-ly.

He chuckled, taking me by surprise. I just raised an eyebrow. He shook his head and smiled at me softly. "That was one of the first things you said to me."

I felt myself grin, "I remember that. It was so long ago."

"A lot has changed." He added, still smiling. I saw a tiny spark of light in his eyes and it make me want to kiss him, but I held myself back. "Are you glad we did it?"

I looked back at him, shocked. "Of course I'm glad, Ron! I don't know what I'd do if he were still out there!"

He shook his head. "I meant earlier…"

"You mean… Oh." He was talking about the kiss. "Of course I am." I repeated in a smaller voice.

"I wish it had happened sooner." He told me, hesitating slightly before taking my free hand. "I'd wanted to do that for a while."

"Me too." I chuckled. I thought back about how strange it would have looked to an outsider, me dropping everything and throwing myself at Ron, kissing him full on the mouth. "What do we do now?"

"Well, I know after everything that's… it might seem strange… tacky in some ways, well, I just, you know what I mean right?"

I sat there and stared at him. "Not exactly…"

He took a deep breath. "Well, I mean people die," He paused for a moment, looking pained, "and stuff… I just think I'd be silly of me to not ask you to be with me out of fear."

I smiled. "You want me to be your girlfriend?" I ignored how childish the word 'girlfriend' sounded right now. I knew that what Ron and I had was more than your typical teenage fling.

"Well, yeah…" He blushed, "I mean, I'd understand if you said no, a lot has happened and there's still a lot to do and-"

I placed a finger on his lips. "I'd love to."

His face lit up, almost back to how he used to be. "You're serious?"

I nodded, smiling as I took the wash cloth that was still in my hand and dipped it into the water, then brought it back to his face and wiping the black off of his nose. A year ago, if this had happened, I would have seemed all too strange, but now it just seemed… normal.

He watched me and I did this, smiling. When I removed the wash cloth, he shook his head. "I don't know what I'd do without you, 'Mione."

I felt my heart rise in my chest. "Well, we know you surely wouldn't accomplish your homework. That's a fact."

For the first time in a long time, we both laughed, true, honest to goodness laughs. It made me realize that despite everything that happened, everything would be alright.

"I love you." He told me out of nowhere.

I ignored the urge to scream out in joy and leaned over, pushing my lips to his once more. It was nothing like the kiss we'd had earlier. This was soft and slow rather than harsh and panicked, like we had all the time in the word. After a moment, we parted and I smiled softly at him. "I love you too, Ron."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. The only thing I own is this plot.

It had been two days since the fall of Voldemort. Most of the wizarding world was celebrating, apparently more so than they had the first time Harry had hindered him. I wished desperately that I would have been able to join them, to partake in the drinking and festivities, although, if things continued the way they were, I might go against my better judgment and take a few drinks anyways.

Ron and I sat in the destroyed Great Hall. No one had felt the need to fix the school just yet; they were much too preoccupied with making sure that everyone was alright. Mrs. Weasley had stopped crying, but every time she saw George, she'd burst out in new tears. Mr. Weasley had stayed by his wife's side. As far as I knew, he hadn't said anything since the battle.

Percy had taken refuge elsewhere, though Bill had been assigned to watch over him. With the amount of guilt he'd been feeling scared Mrs. Weasley, along with the others. It seemed that they were terrified that he'd do something drastic, such as pitching himself off of the Astronomy Tower. Ginny had taken Fred's death quite well, but refused to leave Harry's side. She kept shooting him worried glances every couple seconds. I assumed it was due to us believing him dead. I didn't think she'd completely gotten over it.

I saw George every great once in a while. His head was always down, his eyes unfocused. His pale face was missing his usual glowing smile; it made him nearly unrecognizable. Ron's reaction was terrifying me. He had seemed alright most of the time, but randomly, sometimes in the middle of a conversation, he'd freeze, losing all emotion in his beautiful eyes. I'd tried to get him to take to me, but he'd just give a small smile, one that was far from meeting his eyes, and tell me he was fine.

No one had really given us much attention other than Harry and Ginny, who simply smiled when they saw us walk in, hand-in-hand; and Mrs. Weasley. She, of course, had burst into hysterical sobs and clutched us both, telling us how happy she was for us. Ron and I tried to keep the affection down to a minimum from there on.

I lied my head down on his shoulder, feeling very sleepy. Most of the people had gone home, not knowing what else to do. Professor McGonagall had left the school open to anyone who needed somewhere to stay. Mrs. Weasley, however, refused to leave until they had decided to do with Fred's body. It appeared as if we would have to wait for George to come around, as Mrs. Weasley had chosen to give that decision to him.

Around noon, after Ron and I had taken a walk around the school grounds and returned to our usual seat in the Great Hall, there was a small cough behind us.

"Excuse me," Lavender's voice interrupted their silence, "may I speak with you, Hermione?"

I was shocked to say the least. I gave Ron a small smile and squeezed his hand before following Lavender to the busted marble staircase outside the doors.

"I wanted to thank you." She said quietly. "For saving me and all. That was very noble of you."

I vaguely remembered Greyback about to sink his teeth into her. "It's no problem at all, Lavender. Don't worry about it."

She shook her head and wiped away a tear. "I was so awful to you last year, wasn't I?" she paused, "Actually, I wasn't too incredibly nice to you at all, even going back to first year. I'm really sorry about that, Hermione. I really am."

I patted her arm. "I try to not hold grudges for too long."

She took a shaky breath. "I was awful." She continued. "I knew you liked Ron. I knew you had for as long as I could remember, but I didn't care. I guess it's because he didn't look at me like other boys. I guess it was my shallow way of making him want me."

I felt very uncomfortable. I had tried rather hard to forget what had happened sixth year, as I certainly didn't enjoy reminiscing in those memories.

"None of it worked, you know." She sat down on the steps and looked out of a giant hole through the building. "He only snogged me whenever you were around, and the entire time he kept looking up at you." She paused and then laughed. "It drove me mad, to be honest."

I chuckled, sitting next to her. "I suppose it would. He certainly has that effect on people, making them go mad."

Lavender smiled at me, her eyes watering. "I hope that maybe someday, we can become friends. What you did… well, I'm forever in your debt. I really could use more friends like you, Hermione. I think everyone could."

I pulled her into a hug and patted her on the back. "Honestly, Lavender, I'd like to be friends. Maybe someday soon, after everyone…recovers… maybe we can go out for tea or something."

She grinned and a couple tears made their way down her face. "I'd like that." She looked back into the Great Hall and smiled slightly, giving a small wave. "Well, your man seems a little tense about you talking to me. I suppose you should get back to him."

I stood up as she did and extended a hand to her. "I'll be in touch." I promised.

"I'll keep a look out for your owl." She threw her arm around me again, completely ignoring my hand, and sniffed. "Well, goodbye."

"Goodbye." I watched her as she disappeared out of Hogwarts. Ron kept his eyes on me as I went to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him with me.

"What is it, 'Mione?" He whispered.

I didn't speak until we were far away from the Great Hall. I lead him to a nice little spot next to the Black Lake. "She was thanking me."

His face crumbled in confusion. "For what?"

"Saving her life." I quoted. I certainly didn't feel like a hero. In fact, I felt more like I'd failed. In my mind, unless I had kept all of those innocent people from dying, I was no hero at all.

"You don't sound happy about it." He noted, his eyes studying me.

I shook my head. "I don't feel like I deserve praise."

He lifted my face with his finger and thumb under my chin. "You deserve it. A thousand times over."

I felt my eyes water. "Ron-"

"You can argue with me if you want, 'Mione, but you're not going to win this one." He pushed some of my hair behind my ear. "You're bloody beautiful."

I half-laughed, half cried. He silenced me by kissing me softly. After a few minutes, he stopped. "Do you feel any better?"

I nodded, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand. "Ron, when can we go home?"

His cheeks turned pink. "I'm not sure. It's kind of up to George…" He stopped and looked at the ground.

I wrapped my arms around his torso. "Don't do that." I whispered into his chest.

"Do what?" His voice sounded strained.

"That. Get all quiet and still. I hate it. I never know what to do."

I felt his hand rub my back, tracing circles. "Just keep doing this." He said quietly.

We stayed that way for a very long time, so long, in fact, that by the time we moved, the sun had fallen dramatically from the center of the sky, more towards the tree tops.

"I think we should talk to George." Ron said in my ear.

"I think you're right." I smiled softly.

He chuckled. "I love hearing that."

I slapped him playfully on the arm and laughed. "Don't get used to it."

He rolled his eyes and slid his arm around my waist and started walking to the last place we'd seen George.

"Why did you blush?" I asked about ten minutes later.

He blushed almost as if he were on cue. "What?"

I smiled softly. "When I asked about leaving, you blushed."

His face turned impossibly redder. "You asked when we were going home."

My eyebrows rose. "Yes…"

He looked up at the sky for a moment, then looked back down at me, his blue eyes piercing into mine. "_Home._" He repeated. "I guess I just like hearing you say it, like it's ours, you know?"

I felt my cheeks turn red as well. I hadn't even known that I'd said it, really. But it was nice, thinking about something belonging to the two of us. I hoped there would be many more things to join that category. We walked around for an absurdly long time before finding George. He was sitting against the secret entrance to Honeydukes with the same heartbreakingly empty expression on his face. His looked up at us with bloodshot eyes and looked back down. "Mum send you?" His voice sounded awful.

Ron didn't make any signs of moving or saying anything, so I spoke. "She didn't send us. We just… we just wanted to know how you're feeling."

His lips twisted into a depressed smile. "How I'm feeling?"

I cleared my throat. "George, I… we…"

His smile dropped a little. "I've been thinking about Fred. About what to do with him… his body…"

I felt Ron stop breathing. I looked at him and his eyes were unfocused and watery. I wanted nothing more than to plug his ears and take him away from here, but I knew this needed to happen. Somehow, they all needed to gain some closure from this.

"And what do you think…" I choked out. I felt a terrible weight on my chest and a huge lump in my throat.

George bent down and placed his face into his hands. His body gave a few shutters as he sobbed. "He- he was my b-best friend!" He cried. "W-we were n-never apart. Never!"

I felt warm tears cascade down my cheeks as he fell apart. Ron had turned his body away from me and was shaking, sniffing every once in a while.

"I w-want him to be close." George said shakily. "I want t-to visit him."

I wasn't entirely sure what to say, so I didn't say anything at all. After what seemed like an eternity, the sobs stopped. George took a deep breath and looked up at me. "I'll be up in a minute. I'll tell mum that we're bringing Fred home."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter-related. I just own this plot.**

Chapter 3

Dinner that night, of course, was a quiet occasion. Ron and I had arrived at the Great Hall just as the meal appeared. We silently took our usual seats and began to put food on our plates as Harry and Ginny walked in. We gave each other small smiles as they sat down across from us.

After glancing down the table at Mrs. Weasley, Ginny spoke. "Have you seen…" She paused before mouthing out 'George'.

I nodded. "We talked to him not even an hour ago."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "_Talked_ to him?" He whispered.

I felt Ron shift uncomfortable at my side. "Yes. He's…he's made a decision."

Ginny, who had unfortunately been taking a sip of her pumpkin juice began sputtering and coughing. Harry numbly patted her on the back until she'd finished.

"Well, what is it?" She managed to say.

I opened my mouth to tell her when George himself walked in. He looked rugged, having not shaved in many days. His eyes were still cold, but seemed to have a little bit more light in them than they had when we'd been talking to him earlier. I hoped getting him to talk to us was a good thing.

He stopped in front of us, standing directly in front of his parents. "I have something to say."

Mrs. Weasley who had been staring at the wall snapped back and was watching George with watery eyes. Mr. Weasley sat up a little straighter and Percy sniffed.

He cleared his throat. "I think… F-Fred… needs to come home."

As if on cue, Mrs. Weasley began wailing, clutching her husband. Mr. Weasley awkwardly patted her back as silent tears made their way down his face. "Thank you, George."

George nodded, casting his look back at the doors, clearly contemplating running out. Percy jumped up and pulled him into a hug, apologizing over and over again.

Ron laid his head on my shoulder as his body began shaking. I ran my fingers through his hair, casting my eyes over to Harry and Ginny who were in the same position. Harry gave me a small, watery smile before beginning to whisper in Ginny's ear. I felt my eyes burning but I blinked the tears back. I needed to be strong. Ron needed me to be strong.

"Can we get out of here?" Ron asked shakily after a few minutes. I immediately got up, holding my hand out for him and he reached for it. We walked briskly out of the Great Hall, both desperate to escape. He led me the seventh floor corridor, muttering to himself so quietly that I couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Ron…?" I started.

A door appeared and Ron pulled me in, closing the door quickly. Inside was a room with a soft, white couch in the center. There was music playing quietly and the fire place had a warm fire lighting the room.

"Thank Merlin." Ron sighed, pulling me over the couch and collapsing on it. I sit next to him and laid my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He said after a minute, "I had to get out of there. Go somewhere where no one could find us, you know?"

I nodded, "I understand. I was feeling the same way."

We were quiet a little bit longer before her spoke my name. "'Mione?"

"Yes?" I shifted my head and looked at him.

His lips crashed into mine, taking me by surprise but I didn't mind. I kissed back, ignoring the almost frantic pace he was going. He leaned over me and I lay down, opening my eyes when something wet dropped onto my cheek. My heart gave a harsh squeeze as I realized that he was crying. I allowed him to continue. It wasn't too much longer before he began to slow his pace, eventually stopping and putting his forehead on my shoulder. I rubbed his back. "It's ok, Ron."

"I'm sorry." He said quietly as he breathed heavy.

"It's ok." I repeated, rubbing his back. "You don't need to apologize, it's ok."

We laid there for a long time. Neither of us really saying much. We knew we didn't really have to say anything. Every once in a while, he'd start to kiss me again, and I'd let him. After a long while, what seemed like eternity, we left, heading back to the Gryffindor Common Room. I allowed him to take me up to his old bed. I noticed that in the bed next to us, Ginny was curled up in Harry's arms. We both climbed into bed, kissing each other goodnight before quickly falling into a deep sleep. I knew the next day would be tough, but as long as we had each other, I knew we'd make it through.

** Sorry for it taking such a long time to update, and for this chapter be so short. I'm in the middle of taking finals and I promise that as soon as they're done, I'll write a real long chapter for you guys! Thanks for being so patient! If you have any requests, just let me know. Please review!**

** Much Love, **

**~President-Of-S.P.E.W**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter-related. I just own this plot.**

Chapter 4

It was dark. I couldn't see anything around me. I could hear my heart beat loudly in my chest and my breathing became more and more rapid. There were footsteps, echoing around me, and I knew that they were not mine.

"Ahh, there you are, filthy little mudblood." Her voice caused chills to run down my spine. I quickly reached for my pocket and desperately searched for my wand.

She laughed. "You think you'd fight me? You'd dare raise your wand to _me_?" As her voice disappeared, silence greeted my ears. There was a short lapse of quiet, my breathing being the only audible sound in the room.

"'Mione." I heard his voice.

I spun around, only to come face to face with her.

"_Crucio_!" Bellatrix exclaimed. I immediately was filled with a gut-wrenching pain. A pain that I'd had the misfortune to have experienced before. It felt like white hot needles slamming into every pore of my body accompanied by a skull splitting headache. I screamed, feeling my body twist in all sorts of unnatural angles.

She laughed, "You're blood-traitor boyfriend in next, Mudblood. _Crucio!" _

The pain returned. "No!" I cried, trying desperately to ignore the pain. I screamed again.

"'Mione! _Hermione!" _His voice found my ears once more. It was much like last time, so much so that I wondered how I could have possibly dreamed that we'd beaten Voldemort. I begged that I'd be able to hold out longer, knowing that the sooner I let go, the sooner Ron's turn would come. I couldn't let her do this to him. I had to be strong.

Bellatrix continued to laugh as I writhed in pain and Ron called to me. I gave one last scream-

"_Hermione!"_

I shot up, gasping for breath, looking around wildly. Ron's hands were still on my shoulders and Ginny and Harry were watching me with worried expressions. A second later, Bill came crashing into the room, followed closely by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then Fleur, George, and finally Percy.

"Hermione?" Ginny's voice seemed miles away. I felt Ron's hands slide off my shoulders but one placed itself over my shaking hand.

I looked down, seeing my body still trembling. It was so real. It felt so incredibly real.

"Hermione, dear?" Mrs. Weasley's tired form sat on the already crowded bed. She placed her hand over my forehead. "Are you alright?"

I nodded numbly, afraid to look at anyone in the eye. I couldn't remove that feeling of terror I'd felt. It was as if it had run so deep into my skin, I'd never be able to shake it off.

"I… I just had a night terror, that's all." I took in a long, shaky breath. "I'm sorry to have woken all of you." I tried to not think of how loud I must have been screaming to have woken everyone, especially through these stone walls.

She nodded, watching me a moment longer before standing up and turning to everyone at the door. "Back to bed, everyone."

Before they closed the door, I heard Bill mutter to someone, "It sounded like she was being tortured."

"I believe she was," Mr. Weasley agreed grimly, "at least in her dream."

The four of us who were left in the room sat in silence for a minute. Maybe it was longer, I wasn't entirely sure. Finally, Harry spoke.

"Were you… were you back…"

"At the Malfoy's, yes." I answered. I felt Ron stiffen at my side.

"The Malfoy's? Harry, what is she talking about?" Ginny turned to him. I felt immensely guilty by the tone of her voice, coated in worry.

"Later." Harry whispered. "Come on, let's just… let's go back to sleep."

Ginny shook her head. "Would you mind coming to the common room with me?"

Harry looked at her, then to me, then to Ron. He nodded, getting up and taking her hand. He gave me a small smile before shutting the door behind him.

"I'm sorry." Ron said after a while.

I looked up at him, feeling my eyebrows pulling together. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I… I'll never be able to forgive myself for what… she deserved worse than…" He sighed and squeezed my hand. "I hate that you went through that alone, 'Mione. I'd trade myself if I could-"

I shook my head. "No."

He didn't say anything. He just watched me.

I felt a tear make its way down my cheek. "I would rather go through that a thousand times than for you to ever have to experience it. I don't think I could bare it if you had to go through it."

He reached over and wiped away the tear with his thumb. "You're so brave."

I gave half a laugh. I didn't feel very brave. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"I'm not." He told me seriously. "Listen, I'm just glad you _woke_ up. I've never… not even Harry has ever been that difficult to wake up. I would have taken you to Madam Pomfrey if you hadn't been thrashing about so much."

Shivers ran down my spine again as I imagined what it must have been like for Ron. I'd known he'd begged to take my spot the first time. It must have been horrible for him. We fell silent again, either unsure of what to say or just not feeling the need to speak at all. The quiet lasted a little bit before I spoke again.

"It was you, you know. You're what kept me hanging on."

His eyebrows raised. "Really?"

I nodded. "I kept thinking that I heard your voice."

His face fell a little. "You probably did. I was… well, I was pretty loud, according to Harry, at least. I wasn't really focused on much other than getting you out of there."

I cuddled up next to him. "I can't even begin to imagine how that must have been like."

He cleared his throat. "Awful, to be honest. I've never felt more… useless… in my entire life. And that's saying something."

I laughed lightly. "You're not useless. You've never been useless, Ron."

He snorted.

"Seriously." I continued. "You might not see it but others do. Particularly me."

His arms tightened around me. "You're amazing, you know that?"

I chuckled. "You're amazing, did _you_ know that?"

We continued to chat, mainly about little things. I told him how I loved his hair, which he countered back with how much he loved mine. We talked about Quidditch, which he promised to teach me how to play so I could get rid of my fear of heights. We discussed S.P.E.W and how I planned to take it all the way to the Minister of Magic, whenever we got a new one, that is, and how Ron promised to stand by my side. He even promised to not make fun of it anymore.

"_As much_." He corrected while laughing. "We might have to think up a new name or something."

I had to agree with him on that one. It probably would be taken more seriously with less humorous abbreviations.

When the moon had begun to near the tree tops of the forbidden forest, we both laid down, all too tired to talk anymore. Instead, we simply enjoyed each other's company until we fell into a light sleep. In a few short hours, Mrs. Weasley would be making the preparations to take us all home. For once, I actually dreaded going to the Burrow. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related, other than this plot.**

_This chapter is dedicated to _**WrItInGfIcTiOn**.

Chapter 5

Around ten that morning, Mrs. Weasley woke us up. Her tired eyes watched me closely as I sat up slowly. Ron blinked a few times, muttering something inaudible under his breath, before jumping slightly when he saw his mother's form.

"Everyone is heading downstairs for breakfast, dears." She straightened Harry's bed and picked things up off the floor.

Ron looked at me desperately. "What do I do?" He whispered.

"Why don't you go bathe? I'll talk to her." I offered. I had a strong suspicion that is what she was sticking around for in the first place.

He studied me for a moment, then looked at his mother. As all boys, he seemed horrified at the idea of having to comfort an overly emotional female, but at the same time, it was his mother. Finally, after a long deliberation and a nudge towards the door from me, he reluctantly left. "I'll be back in five minutes."

I opened my mouth to argue. We'd been without hot water for months and he deserved to enjoy it, but he placed a finger over my lips and just smiled crookedly before leaving.

Mrs. Weasley sighed behind me and I heard Ron's bed springs as she sat down.

I turned around, not sure if I should be frightened or not. Mrs. Weasley had always been such a sweet woman to me, but I knew she wasn't to be crossed. I wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to me about last night, or about Ron, or if she just needed to talk to someone new.

"Don't look so worried, dear." She chuckled sadly under her breath. "You're not in any sort of trouble."

I gave her my best smile, which I'm sure was not the least bit convincing, and sat down next to her. We were quiet for a long while before she turned to me.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened last night."

I should have known. I knew the whole Weasley family was very curious about where we had been and what we'd done all those months. They didn't know anything about what had happened, or how many times we had all narrowly escaped death. "It was just a nightmare, Mrs. Weasley."

She sighed again. "I want to know, Hermione. It would… I'd feel better knowing what had happened."

I bit my lip. I wasn't sure if Harry would want us telling anyone about what had happened. Merlin knows that he's tired of being famous and simply wants a normal life. As I opened my mouth to argue, her sad eyes made me change my mind. I took a deep breath. "I was at the Malfoy's… in my dream. Bellatrix was using the using the Cruciatus Curse on me."

She gave a quiet gasp but said nothing.

"It just felt so real. I… I hadn't realized that it was only just a dream."

She watched me. "It happened, didn't it? It didn't only happen in your dream?"

I felt my eyes bring to sting. "No, Mrs. Weasley, it didn't just happen in my dream. It-" I took a deep breath. "You can't say anything to Ron. You have to promise me, Mrs. Weasley." I felt my hands beginning to shake again as my mind went back to the dream. "He blames himself for what happened. Bringing it up will only make him feel worse."

Mrs. Weasley wiped her hand over my cheek. I hadn't realized I'd begun to cry. "I won't say anything, dear. I just… I was so worried about you three." She pulled me into a hug and patted my back, causing me to severely miss my mother. "You three have always been that way though," she chuckled in my ear, "always the first to go running blindly into danger. I've never seen anything like it."

We parted and I wiped under my eyes quickly. "We had to go. Trust me, if there had been any other options, we would have taken them. We didn't have any choice."

"What was so important?" She asked.

I opened my mouth to tell her about the Horcruxes, but shut it back almost immediately. "Unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley, I don't believe it is my story to tell. You'll have to talk to Harry about it. But, if you would, please wait a while before asking." I looked down at my hands. "I think, given the circumstances, he'd like a while to unwind. I'm sure if you'd be willing to wait a while, we could all sit down and tell everyone what happened together."

Her lips trembled before she threw her arms around me once more. "I would like that." We sat like that for what seemed like an eternity before she pulled away and stood up. "I'd expect Ronald is at the door waiting to see if it's safe to come in." She smiled softly as the door creaked open and Ron came in, his face red in embarrassment.

"I'll never know how you do that, Mum." He ran his hand through his quickly-drying hair.

"Perhaps when you have children of your own someday, Ron." She patted my shoulder. "Thank you, Hermione, dear. And if you have any trouble sleeping let me know. We'll see if we can't whip up some Sleeping Potion for you."

I nodded. "Thank you."

She bustled past Ron, who stood in the doorway looking clueless. "Should I even ask what just happened?"

I snorted, getting up and heading towards the bathroom. "She wanted to know what happened, in my dream and while we were gone."

Ron shifted his eyes uncomfortably. "Oh. Well, we should'a known she'd be asking soon, huh?"

I stopped walking wrapped my arms around his middle. I didn't know what caused me to do it, I just did. He seemed just as confused about it as I was, but quickly relaxed and returned the hug. "As much as I'd like to do this all day," he said after a minute or two, "Mum is going to come back up here looking for us if we don't get down there."

I groaned, unwrapping myself from him and headed towards the bathroom again. I bit my lip before I opened the door and contemplated my options. Long, hot shower or more time with Ron? I grinned as I turned around and told Ron, "I'll be back in five minutes."

Breakfast was a quiet event, as usual. The only differences in today's breakfast were that George was eating with us and we actually knew that we weren't going to be staying for the rest of the day. We ate silently and I pretended to not notice Mrs. Weasley watching Ron and I. I had a feeling that after things calmed down, we would become her newest obsession.

"I need everyone to be down here as soon as they've gathered their belongings, is that clear?" Mr. Weasley told us. It startled me so that I'd jumped when his voice met my ears. "Molly and I believe that we should all apparate at the same time, for safety precautions."

We all mumbled are agreements and quickly ran to get our things, which was pretty simple for everyone, considering none of us had been staying at the castle before the battle. Within twenty minutes, we were all at the bottom of the main stairwell, waiting for further direction from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Alright, everyone. Ready to go?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"What about Fred?" George asked, ignoring everyone's flinches as he said his brother's name.

"A couple of us will need to apparate back to get him after we check the Burrow. We need to make sure it's safe."

I felt my nerves begin to bubble in my stomach at the thought of anything not being safe. I instinctively reached for my wand.

When no one else said anything, Mr. Weasley led the way outside Hogwarts grounds. We walked past the Womping Willow which shook almost as if saying goodbye. We passed by where Hagrid's Hut used to be, only seeing ash. Lastly, we passed the severely damaged Quidditch Pitch before exiting through the iron gates.

"On three, everyone." Mr. Weasley spoke, gripping his wife's hand. "One,"

Ron held onto my hand tightly.

"Two,"

He looked over at me and gave me a small smile, which I returned.

"Three!"

We all shifted, feeling the uncomfortable shift through space and drop as the Burrow appeared. Much to our delight, it was still there. It had obviously been broken into, but that seemed to be the worst of it.

"Bill and I will have a look around." Mr. Weasley announced after a quick head check. As he started to the door, Harry argued.

"Shouldn't more of us go? Surely two wouldn't be-"

Ginny didn't seem to agree either, as she groaned. "Dad, I'm not a kid anymore. We can all go."

Harry shook his head. "I didn't mean that. I mean, Ron,-"

Ginny glared at him. "Listen Potter, you three are done with your mission so you don't have to take on everything by yourselves. If you're going, _I'm going_. Got it?"

I giggled as Harry's face turned pink and he continued to open and close his mouth like a fish in attempt to argue back. Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley and Bill had already gone inside.

"She's right, you know." Mrs. Weasley told Harry, looking at him, Ron, and I, "You three don't have to do everything alone."

I shifted my feet uncomfortably as Ron and Harry both stiffened and looked opposite directions. Thankfully, Bill called to us that it was alright from inside before things could get too awkward. We all went inside, looking around at our home. There were plenty of broken things around the house and papers littering the floor. Mrs. Weasley thanked Merlin under her breath and bustled into the kitchen, to start preparing lunch or to begin cleaning, no doubt. I felt as if she was going to busy herself with housework and taking care of everyone to cope with Fred's death.

Before I could register what they were doing, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley all vanished. I tried desperately to forget where they were going and why.

Ron and I entered the kitchen, only to see Mrs. Weasley standing completely still, staring at their broken clock. All of their faces had stayed on 'Mortal Peril', from what I could see. We watched her as she slowly bent down and picked up the clock, placing it carefully on the countertop. She turned around and gave a loud gasp when she saw us standing there.

"Oh! You two startled me." She tried to smile, failing miserably. "Well, I suppose we need a new clock anyhow. We've needed to add you, Harry, and Fleur to it for ages."

"Do you need help with anything, Mum?" Ron asked. I had to keep myself from chuckling at Mrs. Weasley's surprised expression.

"No, Ron, but thank you. Why don't you two go find a place to sleep tonight? I'm assuming the two of you will be…"

I felt my face heat up and Ron groan next to me. I knew I needed to think of a way to talk us out of this fast. "We would prefer it, if that is alright with you. I'm sure Harry will be staying in Ron's room as well. I think we've all, well, after not being apart for so long, I'm not sure we'd be comfortable if we weren't together, Mrs. Weasley."

"Of course, of course." She turned around and began waving her wand around, cleaning things off. "You two make yourselves at home. Dinner will be at six."

"That was brilliant." Ron whispered in my ear as soon as we'd gotten far enough.

We made our way up the stairs, finally reaching Ron's room. I couldn't help but smile when I saw the orange Chudley Cannons sign on the front of the door, explaining that it was Ron's room, though when we opened the door, we covered our faces quickly and shut the door again.

"I forgot about him." Ron groaned.

"Well, at least we know your room wasn't searched." I offered. He gave me an exasperated look before turning around and heading back downstairs. Harry and Ginny met us half way down.

"Ron, have you _smelt_ your room?" Harry asked with an extremely disgusted look on his face.

"I didn't notice a difference, actually." Ginny shrugged.

Ron glared at her. "We were just up there. I don't think any of us will be staying in there any time soon."

"We could all just stay in my room." Ginny yawned. "We could bring a cot in there and you and Hermione could sleep on it."

"Yeah? And where's Harry staying, then?"

"In my bed, of course."

Ron's face glowed red, "If you think for a second that I'm going to let you sleep in the same-"

"They were last night, Ron." I held his hand.

His expression was a strange mixture of disgust, confusion, embarrassment, and rage. "I didn't notice then, but seriously, I'm not going to be able-"

"If it bothers you that much then you can just sleep in the yard." Ginny snapped. "I am not a child and I'll be damned if I let you treat me as such now if you'll excuse us, Harry and I are going for a walk." She snatched Harry's hand, who winced, and stormed down the stair case and out the back door.

Ron opened his mouth to yell back but I shook my head. "Keep that up and you _will_ be sleeping in the yard." I laughed.

He sighed, then shuttered. "It's so weird. My best mate and my little sister."

I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, Ron, they probably feel the same way about us." I started walked down the creaky steps again when the front door opened, reveling Mr. Weasley, George, and Percy, along something wrapped in a blanket. My stomach dropped when I saw a bit of red hair sticking out of it. I turned around, in attempt to shoo Ron back upstairs so he didn't have to see it, but as I looked at him, I saw his eyes already glued to the blanket-covered body.

"Quick, before your mother sees." Mr. Weasley whispered. He looked so tired and like he was struggling to keep himself composed.

Neither George nor Percy said anything. They just walked past us, Fred's body floating along behind them, and disappeared up the stairs.

"Ron…" his expression was terrifying me. His eyes were dry, he didn't look upset, he just looked…blank. Very un-Ron-like.

He didn't say anything, almost as if he hadn't heard me. He just took my hand and laid down on the couch, wrapping his arm around me when I did the same. We continued to not speak until fell asleep, and stayed like that until Mrs. Weasley called us for dinner. We both got up and but before we could walk into the kitchen, I stopped him.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" I asked him, looking right into his blue eyes.

The corner of his mouth twitched up into a smile. "Of course, 'Mione."

I gave him a quick kiss and held his hand as he led me to the table, where everyone was quickly gathering. Food galore was covering most of the table. A couple bottles of butterbeer and firewhiskey were sitting promptly on the table and Mrs. Weasley wore a half-convincing smile on her freckled face.

"Looks delicious, Mum!" Bill complimented.

Mrs. Weasley patted his cheek. "Thank you, dear. Fluer insisted on assisting me. She's the one who suggested on tonight's drinks, as a celebration."

Everyone quieted down a bit.

"Celebration?" Harry questioned. His face grew pale.

"Of course." Fluer came in, passing out wine glasses, "We 'ave our 'ealth, don't we? We 'ave each'ozza. Ze rest of ze wizarding world gets to celebrate, why not us?"

"What about Fred?" Percy demanded. "He doesn't have his health! He doesn't get to celebrate!"

"Now, Percy-" Mr. Weasley's eyes shot over to Mrs. Weasley, who pretended she didn't hear any of it.

"I am sure zat Fred would not want us all moping about ze 'ouse." Fluer said softly. "And eef you think about eet for a moment, I sure you will agree."

George, who up until this moment had remained perfect still and quiet reached for one of the bottles of firewhiskey and poured himself a rather large glass. Ron followed in suit.

"Ron," I whispered once the silence has ceased. "Don't you think that's a bit much?"

He gave me the same broken smile. "Its fine, 'Mione. It's just a bit of firewhiskey."

Most everyone seemed to have the same general idea. Each of us had a drink, other than Fluer and Mrs. Weasley; and Harry and I only had a small glass or two of butterbeer, quickly followed by a large glass of pumpkin juice. Ron, George, and Percy, on the other hand, drank excessively. Both Percy and Ron becoming louder and louder until it was hard to hear anyone at all.

"Listen, I could run that place with my _eyes closed_!" Percy shouted, swaying a bit in his chair as he raised his hand in the air. "Every fool that steps into the Minister's Office doesn't know their arse from a hole in the ground!" He hiccupped.

Ron laughed out loud, "Please, if anyone should be Minister at this table, it's Harry!" He took a long drink and looked back up at Percy, pointing at him. "_You_ don't know what it's like! The evil out there! Blimey, it was everywhere, wasn't it, Harry?"

Harry's face turned red again and simply nodded. Ginny laid her head on his shoulder but continued to watch Ron closely.

"Actually, none of you know, really!" He stood up wobbly, "You all have only had _little_ tastes of it as far as I'm concerned! Minister of Magic, my arse!"

"Ron, sit down." I hissed.

He smiled down at me lovingly. "This woman!" He suddenly shouted. "My 'Mione could be the Minister-…ess of Magic too!" He sat down with a plop and began twirled my hair around his finger. "She's really brave, you know! She wouldn't say anything about the sword even when she was being tortured!" I felt the room heat up as the awkward silence rang in my ears, and jumped about half a foot out of my seat when he exclaimed, "She's a hero!-ine…ess…" He shrugged his shoulders and reached for his glass.

I grabbed it before he could. "I think you've had enough, Ron."

He chuckled and reached for it anyway. "Aww, come on, 'Mione."

I flicked my wand, causing it to disappear. Ron apparently missed it, for he continued to blink and gape at where the glass had once been. "Woah! Did you guys see that?"

I sighed and looked over at Ginny, who was watching her brother sadly. I didn't miss that she refused to look me in the eye. "Come on, Ron. Let's go upstairs."

He looked up at me and rested his head on his hand. "You're so pretty, 'Mione."

I heard Harry choke on his pumpkin juice. Everyone else continued to watch. "Thank you, Ronald. Now, come one."

"Ohhh!" He laughed, stumbling up. "I think I'm in trou-ble!"

I sighed and turned to Mrs. Weasley, who was still pretending to be blissfully ignorant. "Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Weasley."

"Of course, dear." She grinned. "Let me know if you need anything."

I gave her and the rest of the family my best smile before dragging Ron upstairs. When we reached Ginny's room, I sat him on her bed as I went to find a cot. "Stay here."

He saluted me and then laughed. I took that as an 'Ok'.

After quickly finding the cot and setting it up in Ginny's room, I had Ron lay down on it. "'Mione," he called as I got up.

"Yes, Ron?" I looked in Ginny's bottom drawer, where we'd learned we were I should keep some spare clothes, seeing as I'd sometimes end up here at the most random times, unprepared. I grabbed an old shirt and shorts.

"You're soooo beautiful." He smiled. "I've never seen anyone in my _entire_ life as beautiful as you, 'Mione."

I felt myself blush. "Thank you, Ron. Will you stay here while I change?"

His eyes got big, "You're gonna change in front of me?"

I snorted and shook my head. "I planned on changing in the bathroom, Ron."

"Ohhh." He laid back down and closed his eyes. I made sure to change into my nightclothes quickly and returned. Part of me was hoping he had fallen asleep, while the other half hoping he was still awake.

I opened the door, seeing him roll his head towards me lazily and giving me my favorite crooked grin. "I missed you."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "I wasn't gone two minutes."

He didn't respond. He just scooted over in the cot and patted the new, small space with his hand. I laid down next to him and pushed his hair out of his eyes. His arms pulled me closer and his lips met mine, before I could even register what had just happened. I closed my eyes and kissed back, not seeing much harm in it, though I wasn't particularly fond of him tasting like firewhiskey.

After a while, we parted. I cuddled up next to him sat he reached into his pocket, pulling out Dumbledore's deluminator and clicking it, putting out the lights and allowing us to finally sleep.

I woke up the early the next morning, shivering. The sun was just coming up, the sky many pretty colors just over the trees across the field. I turned over and realized that Ron wasn't there. I looked around the room, seeing only Harry and Ginny asleep on her bed. I got up quietly, tip-toeing out of the room and checked the bathroom, but no one was there. As quietly as I could, I descended the stairs, making sure to step over the steps that creaked the most. I was about to enter the kitchen when I heard someone speak.

"I'm worried about him. He's… he's not taking it as well as the others." Mrs. Weasley said sadly. I peeked around the corner to see her sitting at the kitchen table, staring out the window.

"Why do you say zat?" Fluer spoke, bringing two mugs with her and setting one in front of her mother-in-law. "I would zink George or Percy would-"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "George finally broke down and let it all out. He and Arthur speak multiple times a day about how things are with him. And Percy seems to have opened up quite a bit to Bill. Ginny seems to be handling it quite well, having spoken with Harry and I multiple times. But Ron," She paused to sigh. "Ron won't speak about it at all. I doubt even with Hermione."

"'Perhaps 'e will soon?" Fluer suggested, taking a sip out of her mug and watching Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "No. I don't think so. Ron was always the kid I had to pry information out of. He doesn't like seeming weak, I suppose. I'd try to get him to talk to me, but he rarely leaves Hermione's side long enough for me to."

"Now zis is where I disagree." Fluer placed a hand over Mrs. Weasley's. "I know zat you are worried, but I believe that perhaps 'Ermione should be ze one to speak to Ron. Zay are very close, yes?"

Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "Yes, quite. They've been through a lot, the two of them. More than we'll ever know, probably." She looked outside the window again.

I squinted my eyes, straining to see the little blob of red hair out in the yard. He was just sitting there, not really doing much of anything as far as I could tell. I decided to make my presence know and walked into the kitchen, giving both Mrs. Weasley and Fluer my warmest smile. "Good morning."

They both uttered back their greetings, watching me closely.

"That's Ron outside, isn't it?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

Fluer nodded. "Yes. And a bottle of firew'eeskey." She noted.

I froze. "A what?"

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Firewhiskey, dear."

I took a deep breath. "Excuse me." I said, walking briskly out of the kitchen, out the door and into the yard. I was reminded that I was wearing shorts when the cool morning air met my bare skin but I ignored it. I couldn't allow Ron to drink himself to death like this. "Ronald." I called to him as I approached him.

He turned around and smiled at me. "Morning, 'Mione. Sorry I wasn't there when you woke up."

I pointed to the bottle in his hand. "What's that?"

He swallowed, moving the bottle in attempt to put it out of my view. "Nothing, 'Mione."

I clenched my jaw. "What is that, Ron?"

His face changed from slightly scared to angry. "It's a bloody bottle of firewhiskey, 'Mione, what do you think it is?"

I put my hand out palm up. "Give it to me, Ron."

"No, I want it."

"I don't give a damn what you want right now, Ronald Weasley! Now _give me the bottle_!" I snatched it out of his hand and held it, my stomach dropping when I saw that less than a quarter of it remained.

He groaned. "Give it back."

"Is this what you want? Do you really think you're going to fix all your problems by _drinking them away_?"

He refused to look at me.

I stomped my bare foot on the ground and screamed in frustration. "Fine! If you're going to be ridiculous and drink yourself to death, then I guess I'll just have to join you!" I lifted the bottle up to my lips and took a large gulp.

"'Mione!" Ron got up clumsily and attempted to yank the bottle out of my hands. "'Mione, stop!"

"No, _you_ stop, Ron! You stop acting like you have no one to talk to because I'm _right here_! I've _always_ been here! Now either you open up to me and tell me what's going though that thick skull of yours or so help me I'll drink a dozen of these bottles!"

He watched me with sad eyes and reached over for the bottle, pulling it out of my hand. To my surprise, he simply turned the bottle over and we both watched in silence as the liquid fell to the ground. After the last drop had fallen, he let the bottle drop onto the grass.

After a minute of silence, he looked back at me. "I'm sorry."

"Its fine, Ron. You just… you can't do that to yourself, ok? You can't do that to me."

I watched him flinch slightly before he dropped to the ground, looking back up at the sky. "I was thinking about Fred."

I sat down next to him and waited for him to say more.

"It wasn't right for him to go like that. He was always a nice guy, real brave. Braver than me…"

I opened my mouth to argue but he spoke before I could say anything. "He would have never left you and Harry in those woods by yourselves, 'Mione. He would have stayed no matter what and no matter what had happened, he'd just make a joke about it later."

I placed my hand on his arm. "You are brave." I whispered.

He chuckled grimly. "Yeah, real brave. Brave enough for you to get that." He lifted his hand to my neck and traced his finger across my scarring wound.

"Ron, that wasn't your fault and you know it."

He shook his head, his eyes shut tightly. "I can't help but think that it should have been me who died in that castle, not Fred."

I felt my tighten and my eyes burn. "I'd rather be dead that have to live without you, Ron. Don't you ever think that again, do you hear me?"My voice got higher as I spoke, but I didn't care. "Don't you ever think of leaving me, Ron, don't you dare. Not in this lifetime, not ever!"

He sniffed and wiped away a tear before I could see it.

"You know crying isn't weak, don't you?" I said quietly, turning his face towards mine. "It just means that you've been through a lot. You certainly have earned the right to cry, Ron."

As soon as the words had left my mouth, Ronald Weasley laid his head down on my shoulder and began to cry.

**YaY! to a long chapter! I should be studying for psychology, but I just HAD to write today! Again, this chapter is dedicated to ****WrItInGfIcTiOn**** who brilliantly came up with some wonderful ideas for this chapter. Please review!**

**Much love!**

**~President-Of-S.P.E.W**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related, other than this plot.**

Chapter 6

The sun was rather high in the sky before Ron and I went back inside. Mrs. Weasley was bustling about in the kitchen, accompanied by Ginny and Harry, though it seemed as if Harry was awkwardly attempting to stay out of the way rather than assisting.

"Good morning." Mrs. Weasley grinned when she saw us. She shot over to where her husband and Bill were and poured tea into their mugs. "Would you two like anything for breakfast?"

"Yes, please." I answered for us. I was feeling a tad bit sick to my stomach, which I determined was from the large gulp of Firewhiskey and overload of emotions first thing in the morning. I knew Ron couldn't feel much better.

Immediately, we were ushered to the table and our plates were loaded up with hot food. I noticed that she put something extra in Ron's mug, which I assumed as something to prevent him from getting sick and having a hangover. I found it amazing how much I appreciated Mrs. Weasley's cooking after having to fend for ourselves. I was a decent cook, but nothing like her. I made a mental note to ask her to teach me as I took a sip of tea.

"Have enough, dears?" Mrs. Weasley asked after we'd finished.

I nodded as Ron said, "Yes, Mum. Thanks." We placed our dishes in the sink and walked into the living room, where Ron abruptly stopped and looked at a photograph of everyone other than Mrs. Weasley at the Quidditch World Cup. Everyone was laughing and smiling, randomly pointing over to something outside to picture, then looking back at us.

"That was so long ago." He smiled. The me in the picture had just caught picture-Ron staring at her, and they both were blushing and looking away from everyone.

I chuckled. "It was. It's hard to believe it was just three years ago."

"Almost four." He corrected.

I decided to ignore it, even though nearly every fiber of my body wanted to argue with him. I apparently looked like I was struggling, because he began to laugh.

"I'm sorry." He said after a few moments. "You just looked so funny."

My eyes narrowed. "Well, maybe I think you look funny."

He stopped laughing for a second, then burst into a new fit of giggles.

"Ron." I called.

He continued to laugh.

"Ron!"

He just kept on laughing.

Eventually, I began to laugh as well, and soon, the both of us were clutching our stomachs and wiping tears from our cheeks. I wasn't entirely sure what I was laughing about, as I hadn't really found anything we'd just said funny. I assumed it was Ron, hearing him really laughing after so long. I was a wonderful high that I hadn't felt in so long.

After a long while, we both settled down. He smiled at me and led me upstairs, past his bedroom. We could hear the beast snoring obnoxiously from the other side of the door as we walked by.

"We've got to do something about that." I whispered.

He nodded. "I don't know if I can handle sleeping on that cot again. Or waking up to Harry and Ginny…" He stopped to make a disgusted groan.

I giggled. "It's really not that bad. At least they're not snogging I front of you."

He rolled his eyes. "I'd rather they not snog at all, to be perfectly honest."

We got to Ginny's room and sat down on our cot. Both of us took a deep breath at the same time, which caused us to chuckle again. He looked down and laced his fingers with mine, then leaded his back onto the wall.

"I'm glad we get time to ourselves, just the two of us."

I nodded, agreeing. "Yes, it reminds me a little of when we'd get some time alone in the tent."

He smirked. "Only we aren't in mortal danger."

"And we weren't together." I added.

"We wouldn't admit to anything." He snorted.

I laid my head down on his shoulder. "We were pretty obvious, looking back."

"Ridiculously obvious." He agreed. "I can't believe it took _seven years_ for us to get together, can you?"

I shrugged. "Well, we're both rather stubborn. Neither of us really wanted to admit it."

He sighed and laid his head on top of mine. "We should have just gotten together that first day on the train. It would have saved us all sorts of trouble."

I giggled. "But where's the fun in that?"

We fell silent. He rubbed my hand with his thumb as he said, "I don't like Krum."

I burst out in giggles before I could stop myself. "I hadn't noticed."

He chuckled, lifting his head. "You know what I mean."

I lifted my head up too and looked at him. "Not really."

He sighed. "Well, I mean, it was… awful. I liked you, a lot. I didn't want to because, well, we'd been friends for so long. It felt kind of weird like it wasn't acceptable. And I didn't really know how to ask you so I waited until most of the girls were taken. I guess to make it seem like I didn't have any other choice." He chuckled. "I'd _assumed_ you hadn't been asked, since you hadn't told neither myself nor Harry. I thought it'd be smooth sailing but then…"

"But then your big mouth messed things up for you?" I offered with a laughed.

My favorite crooked grin spread across his lips. "Yeah, basically." He reached up with his free hand and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. "When you wouldn't tell us who'd asked you, of course I thought that you were just making it up. Not because I didn't think you were beautiful enough to be asked, of course, but I had just insulted you and all and I just thought you were too mad at me to admit you hadn't a date."

I bit my lip as hit freckled face grew pink. He'd never really shared anything like this with me before. It was very fascinating.

"Anyways, when I saw you at the ball, blimey you honestly took my breath away. But then when I saw whose arm you were on, well, let's just say I was a little jealous."

"A _little_?" I laughed.

He laughed as well. "Ok, a lot. I didn't know what else to do so I took it out on you and made things worse." He paused for a moment. "But then again, I usually take my frustrations out on you, don't I?"

I shook my head. "Don't you start beating yourself up for that. I do the same thing to you so we're even."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."

I watched him as his face began to fall. I placed my hand on his cheek and turned his face to mine. "Kiss me."

He grinned, lowering his lips until they met mine. It was wonderful, kissing Ron. My brain that was usually filled with thoughts and facts emptied, making me feel more relaxed than I could ever remember feeling. My cheeks and neck burned hot and my fingers and toes tingled with excitement.

A cough broke us apart. Ginny and Harry stood in the doorway, both with humored-but-disgusted looks on their faces.

"We need to go downstairs." Harry shifted his eyes away from us, suddenly finding something outside the window really interesting.

"Mum's calling a family meeting. George has decided what to do."

We didn't need any further explanation. We'd known that it was up to George what to do with Fred's funeral. He'd already chose to have him buried here, now it seemed he'd finished up deciding what to do regarding who and when.

We all went downstairs into the already crowded living room. Seeing as there were no chairs to sit in, we all squeezed into a corner against the wall. A minute later, George came in to the room, accompanied by Percy, whose hair was unusually out of place and seemed to have not shaved today.

"I've been thinking about… the funeral." George cleared his throat, looking at a blank spot on the wall. "I think it should just be family and close friends. The Order, obviously. I was talking to Tonk's mum, Andromeda. She's having Tonk's and Lupin's funeral tomorrow." He tossed an envelope on the wooden table, which I assumed was the proper invitation. "I think we should have… Fred's…" He took a deep breath. "We should have his the day after."

Mrs. Weasley's face was all scrunched up as she attempted to not cry. "I'll get started on the owls, then."

"Percy and I have already done it." George walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. "All we need you to do is cook and look pretty, Mum."

Mrs. Weasley began to cry and clutched George, wailing into his shoulder. Mr. Weasley jumped up, rushing over but George shook his head. He sniffed and hugged Mrs. Weasley back. "He wouldn't want you to be so sad, Mum. Fred wouldn't want you to cry so much."

Mrs. Weasley cried even harder. I bit my lip, blinking away my own tears. Bill's eyes were glassy as he hugged a silently crying Fleur and held Percy's shoulder. Percy's head was in his hands as his shoulders shook. Ginny's face was buried in Harry's arm as he looked rather ill. I was a little scared to look at Ron, but I was pleasantly surprised. He was crying, of course, but he wasn't covering his face. He sniffed, smiling softly at me and wiping my cheek.

"Don't cry, 'Mione." He whispered in my ear. "Everything's going to be fine."

** I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed thus far. You guys are absolutely wonderful!**

** Much love!**

** ~President-Of-S.P.E.W**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related, other than this plot.**

**A/N: This is an updated version of Chapter 7. Due to the fact that I was getting many reviews about Charlie and the Battle of Hogwarts, I decided to re-do this chapter after going back and reading that Charlie was in fact at the Battle. I apologize for this update taking so long but Chapter 8 is well on it's way. Thank you for being so patient! ~President_Of_S.P.E.W**

Chapter 7 

The sun was shining brightly in my eyes when I woke up the next morning. I sat up on the uncomfortable cot and stretched, chuckling softly when I saw my favorite red head snoring next to me. His arm was thrown over his head, lying on the floor, and his mouth was slightly open. His cheeks were flushed with sleep and his just looked so peaceful. I loved it.

I got up quietly, tiptoeing out of the room and dashing into the bathroom before anyone else beat me there. I took care to lather my hair with shampoo and wash my face. The steam swirled around in front of me as I tried to think of what I was going to wear to the funeral. Despite the hot water beating down on my skin, I shivered. I hadn't seen either of them ever since that night of the battle. I wasn't sure if I was ready to see them.

I washed the soap off my body and made sure everything was out of my hair before I turned the water off and got out of the shower. As I was drying off, I heard a knock at the door. I wrapped the towel around my body and cracked the door open, where Mrs. Weasley was waiting with a solid black dress.

"Oh, Hermione dear, Fleur had this dress. She's not feeling too well, I'm afraid, so she said it would be fine for you to wear it today."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. Is Fleur alright?" I extended my arm and she placed the dress in my hand.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll perk up soon." She patted my cheek. "I'm headed down to start some breakfast before we go-" She stopped and smiled weakly. "If you would wake the others for me and get them started. Today isn't an occasion to be late to."

I felt my stomach drop a little as I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Mrs. Weasley sped off down the hall and disappeared as she descended the stairs. I watched after her for a moment before shutting the bathroom door again and getting ready.

"Wow." I whispered to myself as I slipped into Fleur's dress. The dress was a black silk with a silver shimmer to it. The neckline was perfect, showing just enough skin to look elegant. The sleeves reached just past my elbows and were lined with silver lace. It fit my body so perfectly, I was sure that she'd bought it for me. Fleur's body my much prettier than mine, more full and womanly. I'd have to ask her about this dress after the funeral.

I spent an absurdly long time with my hair, taming the curls and pinning up the sides. As much as I despised primping this much, I refused to not look as presentable as possible. I owed it to Lupin and Tonks.

After finishing with my hair, I took one last look before heading back to Ginny's room. I woke Ginny and Harry first, thinking that Ginny would need more time to get ready than the boys.

"Ginny," I shook her shoulder gently. "Ginny, wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open and she studied me. "Oh, I almost forgot that was today."

I nodded and stepped back, allowing her to stand up.

"You look really pretty, Hermione." She complemented me. She walked over to her closet and started going through her clothes.

"Thank you." I blushed, looking out of the window. I certainly wasn't used to being called 'pretty'. It was a nice change.

"Sure, sure. Here," she turned around and tossed a pair of black heels at me, "you'll need those."

She grabbed a black dress out of her closet and groggily stumbled off to the bathroom.

"Harry," I started.

"I'm up, I'm up." He groaned. He sat up and grabbed his glasses, smashing them to his face.

"Are you alright?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

He nodded. "I hate this. It's not fair."

I patted his shoulder. "It's going to be alright. You know that neither of them would want you to feel guilty."

He looked down at the comforter. "Their son is going to grow up without parents because they were protecting me."

"They weren't protecting _you_, Harry!" I snapped. "They were protecting the freedom of every witch and wizard in our world!"

He stared at me for a moment. "How am I going to be a god father?"

"You're going to be a great god father. The best there's ever been, I assure you."

He opened his mouth to argue but I stopped him.

"You know what it's like to not have parents," I told him, "you know what it's like to feel alone. You'll be there for him because you don't want him to go through what you did. Now stop beating yourself up and get dressed. Mrs. Weasley is probably about finished cooking breakfast."

He smiled at me. "Thanks, Hermione."

I hugged him. "You're welcome. Just stay strong, Harry."

He grabbed his belongings and left, probably headed to another bathroom. A loud snore from behind me turned my attention to the adorable red head on the cot. I carefully sat down and leaned over him, pushing some hair out of his face.

"Ron…" I cooed.

He groaned.

"Ron…" I stifled a giggle as he shifted around.

"'Mione…"

"Ron!" I nearly yelled.

His eyes flew open and he watched me with wide eyes. "Merlin, 'Mione. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Would you rather I send birds to wake you?" I teased.

He rolled his eyes. "I'll pass."

I leaned back. "You need to get ready. You're mum will have breakfast ready soon."

"Blimey, 'Mione, you look amazing!" Ron sat straight up with his blue eyes wide.

I felt myself blush again. "Thank you, Ronald."

He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him. "You are so beautiful."

I chuckled, "Are you still dreaming?"

Instead of answering, he pressed his lips to mine. His hands fell down to my lower back while mine tangled themselves into his brilliantly red hair. Too soon, he pulled away.

"I smell food." He looked at the doorway.

I snorted. "Of course you do. Now get dressed." I stood up. "I'll meet downstairs when you're through."

He smiled crookedly at me. "I love you, 'Mione."

My heart missed a beat. "I love you too, Ron."

I sped out of the room as fast as my jello-ed legs would take me and went downstairs where Mrs. Weasley was, bustling about the kitchen and whipping her wand around.

"Would you like any help, Mrs. Weasley?" I asked.

She peeked over her shoulder at me, "Yes, Hermione, I would appreciate it if you would take this," she pointed at a bottle of potion and a wash cloth, "up to Fleur. Then come straight back; breakfast will be ready in just a moment."

"Yes, ma'am." I quickly grabbed the items and darted back up the stairs to Bill's room. "Um, Fleur? Bill? Mrs. Weasley sent me up here with this."

The door creaked open. A weary looking Bill stood looking half exhausted and half elated. "Oh, thank goodness. Tell her thanks, wont you, Hermione?"

I nodded. "Is she alright? Does she need anything else?"

He glanced back over his shoulder. "Nah, I don't suspect so. Mum said it'd pass pretty quickly. Thanks though."

"Sure." I said as he shut his door. I pondered what could be making Fleur feel so terrible as I went back down the stairs, where Harry and Ron were already seated, shoveling food into their mouths.

"Now you two better save some for everyone else." Mrs. Weasley placed a hand over each of their shoulders. "And don't make yourselves sick."

I quickly sat down next to Ron and placed some eggs and toast on my plate. I ate slowly, carefully chewing each bite before swallowing. My stomach kept making uneasy jerking movements that kept growing in intensity as each minute passed.

_'I'm not ready for this.'_ I told myself, thinking about seeing Tonks' and Lupin's bodies. I was absolutely terrified.

Soon, everyone was in the kitchen, minus Bill and Fleur, of course. What was usually a loud and nearly always humorous affair was awkward and silent again. Everyone was dressed in black dresses and robes and matching expressions of anxiety and depression. Out of everyone, though, Harry was obviously the one having the most trouble. Today was the day that he would meet his godson.

Mrs. Weasley rushed us out into the front yard as soon as breakfast was through. "Nearly noon already," She complained softly, "unbelievable that time can go by so quickly."

I secretly wished that time would go by quickly today and tomorrow as well. I wanted nothing more than to be able to go back to the days of Hogwarts, reading and learning, fighting and flirting with Ron. Those days seemed like they were yesterday, but seemed so long ago as well. It was certainly a strange combination.

"Alright, everybody," Mr. Weasley made eye contact with each of us, "this isn't going to be easy, but try and think about all the good times you have with Lupin and Tonks. This is a sad occasion, may even be a bit disturbing for some, but your mother and I are here if _any_ of you would like to talk at _any _time."

"That's right, dears. Don't be afraid to come find us if need be." She laced her fingers with her husband's and gave us a slightly watery smile.

"Aren't Bill and Fleur coming?" Percy asked in a strained voice. I saw that he'd shaved and showered. He nearly looked the same as he had before the battle. I was glad.

"Fleur is feeling a bit peaky. I'm sure she'll be alright soon but Bill should be stopping by once her gets her to bed."

"Well, we best be off." Mr. Weasley's lips pressed together and he and his wife took a step back and with a loud pop, vanished.

I felt Ron's strong hand close around mine. I looked up at him and saw a small smile. It certainly wasn't my favorite smile of his, but it let me know that he was ok, that all of us would be.

We all mimicked Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, arriving at the sad house of Andromeda Tonks.

**Again, I would like to thank everyone for being so patient with me. Chapter 8 in the process of being written so expect to see it within in the next few days!**

**Much love!**

**~President-Of-S.P.E.W**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related, other than this plot.**

Chapter 8

Arriving at Andromeda's house was not too far off from what I had envisioned. There was slow classical music playing in the background that was very easy to hear from the lack of talking and the occasional sniffle. The room smelt of food and cleaner. In the corner of the room was a small buffet of all sorts of random food and drinks. Hagrid was already there, hiccupping quietly with a large flask in his giant hand, reminding me of the night when Moody and Hedwig died. The thought sent horrible shivers down my spine.

"Arthur, Molly, thank you so much for coming." A calm but sad voice called out to them. A pretty lady came out dressed in black. In one hand, she gripped her wand so hard, her knuckles were turning white. In the other, was baby Teddy.

Teddy's hair was dark blue at the moment. He had the same dark eyes as Tonks and the same soft smile as Lupin. When he looked over at them, his eyes met Harry's and he grinned toothlessly.

I glanced over at Harry, who'd quite literally frozen in place.

"I think he'd like to be held by you, Harry." Andromeda said quietly.

Ron nudged Harry with his elbow. "Go on." He whispered.

Harry stumbled forward. If it weren't such a depressing occasion, it would have been humorous to see the Boy Who Lived clumsily trudging across this flat surface. He eyed Teddy wearily before taking the baby from Andromeda's arm.

Teddy stared at Harry.

Harry stared at Teddy.

Then suddenly, Teddy let out an excited squeak, grabbed Harry's glasses from off of his face, and began giggling hysterically.

Ron snorted at the expression on Harry's face and everyone else began laughing as well. It felt… right to be laughing. I was sure Lupin and Tonks would have wanted us to be happy. That is, after all, what they sacrificed themselves for in the first place.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone." Andromeda told us with a smile.

I was very shocked to see just how many were present. Kingsley was there, as well as Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and all the rest of the adults who fought in the Battle. I noticed many of the students whom Lupin had taught in our third year were also present. Even Lavender and Parvati were there.

"Oh! I nearly forgot! Please, make yourselves at home. I just need to finish something up in the kitchen, it shouldn't take too long." She told us.

"Would you like any help, Andromeda?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "I certainly wouldn't mind."

"If you would like to, Molly. I would appreciate that."

The two women bustled off, leaving Teddy with Harry, who had a glazed, happy look in his eyes.

"Looks like he's found a new love." Ron joked.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Ron. Honestly, let's see how quickly you'd turn to mush holding a new baby as cute as he is."

"I would not turn to _mush_." Ron argued.

I looked around, hoping no one would find it too incredibly inappropriate that they were arguing rather than quietly paying their respects to Lupin and Tonks.

"Can you hand Ron Teddy for a moment, Harry?" Ginny asked sweetly.

Harry didn't seem to hear her.

"Harry? Hello?" Ginny snapped her fingers with a smirk.

"What?" Harry's head snapped up.

"Blimey, Harry. It's a good thing we weren't being attacked by a hoard of death eaters just now or you'd have been done for."

Harry glared at him. "What did you say, Ginny?"

Ginny giggled. "Will you give Ron a turn with Teddy? He bets he won't melt into a puddle when he holds him."

"I didn't bet anything!" Ron argued.

"Ron!" I snapped in a hushed tone.

He grinned apologetically at me. "Sorry, 'Mione."

I rolled my eyes, but watched intently as Harry reluctantly handed Teddy to Ron. Teddy stared at Ron's hair, then his cheeks, then his eyes, all the time with a completely straight face.

"Uh, what's he doing? Are babies supposed to be this-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Teddy blinked and had pretty ocean blue eyes. He scrunched up his nose and tens of freckles appeared, and finally his hair began to turn bright red, from the roots to the ends.

My heart gave a not so gentle squeeze at the scene in front of me. Had it not been for the fact that I knew for certain that Ron didn't have any children, it would have seemed as if it were his. The thought made my heart melt.

Ron's face turned into a goofy lopsided grin. "Well aren't you a handsome little devil?"

Teddy giggled and patted Ron's cheek.

For the next hour, Ron and Harry continually passed Teddy back and forth between the two of them. It was a rather comical scene. Neither of them had ever expressed having children of their own, yet they handled Teddy so carefully, paying so much attention to him.

Ginny nudged me softly with her shoulder. "Interesting, isn't it? A few days ago, they were brave warriors, now they're babysitters."

"Heard that." Both of them called out without taking their eyes off Teddy.

Ginny and I chuckled to ourselves. Teddy would certainly not be neglected as Harry had been. It was some sort of silent agreement between the four of us to love and raise this baby to the very best of our abilities. It was the least we could do for Lupin and Tonks.

We spent the next hour chatting with the other guests, all of whom held Teddy, with Harry and Ron standing in close proximity, mind you. Occasionally, someone would get choked up and shed a few tears, but there was always another person who would remind them of all the good Lupin and Tonks had done and how their memory should be celebrated.

"May I have your attention, please?" Kingsley's voice called to everyone.

Everyone gathered to where he was standing silently.

"Today we remember the lives of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. I had the utmost pleasure of meeting and working with the both of them and it is through their efforts that the wizarding world is safe. We owe our existence to the brave duo. It is difficult having to say goodbye to such a great witch and wizard, but keep in mind that the dead never truly leave us. If there is one thing I have learned from my experiences, it is that the dead are always in our hearts and live on through us. Let us take a moment to remember the good times we had with both Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks."

I reached for Ron's hand and closed my eyes. I thought of the Lupin saving Harry from the dementor on the train in third year, I remembered the lessons he taught and how he'd made each one sink down into a personal life lesson rather than a subject to memorize for the final exam, I recalled his incredible knowledge and advice he gave whenever anyone had a problem and I mostly thought of the giant smile on his face when Teddy was born, so proud and full of love.

Next I thought of Tonks. I thought about her consistently lightening the mood whenever the subjects weighed down on everyone's shoulders. I remembered her morphing during dinners, making silly faces at those who were taking themselves and the subject being discussed much too seriously. I thought about her saving us in the Department of Mysteries, how quickly her joking demeanor shifted into the professional heroine. Finally, I thought of the worried but determined look in her eyes just before she ran off to find Lupin during the Battle at Hogwarts.

Both of them were so brave! No one in their right mind could possibly not strive to be more like them. They were both so noble and smart and wise and to sacrifice themselves was something that I would never forget.

Kingsley cleared his throat and smiled softly at us. "To Lupin and Tonks." He raised his wand, causing a Champaign glass to appear in front of everyone.

"To Lupin and Tonks." We all repeated, taking a sip from the glass.

The rest of the ceremony continued on a much softer note. I noticed that Andromeda was speaking with Mrs. Weasley, both with tears streaming down their faces. It dawned on me that Andromeda hadn't just lost her daughter and son-in-law. She'd also lost her husband shortly before. How cruel it must seem to have nearly everyone you love taken from you.

"You alright?" Ron asked.

I looked up at him and smiled softly. "Yes, I'm alright."

He smiled and kissed me softly on the lips. "Kingsley is right, you know. We should celebrate their lives, not mourn for them. They wouldn't want that."

I watched him carefully as I thought about what he'd just said, analyzing the double meaning. He wasn't only speaking of Tonks and Lupin, he was also speaking of Fred. I pulled him into a hug and rested my head on his chest. "You're right, Ron. They wouldn't."

He chuckled softly and rubbed my back. "Now you're worrying me."

I looked up at him, feeling my eyebrows pull together. "What do you mean?"

"Well, 'Mione, I don't know how to tell you this, but you just _agreed_ with me on something."

I snorted, shoving him playfully. I looked into his pretty blue eyes and smiled at him. "You're ridiculous, Ronald Weasley."

He grinned and rolled his eyes. "I love you, Hermione."

I bit my lip. "Really?"

The corners of his lips turned up into a smile. "Really."

I hugged him hard around his middle. "I love you too, Ron." I murmured into his chest.

We stayed like that, for how long, I wasn't sure. All I knew was that life could throw us as many hexes as it'd like because all I needed was already in my arms.

** This chapter was WAY overdue! I hope it meets everyone's expectations and again, I apologize for the update taking so long! I should be updating much more often now that school is over (happy dance!) so be prepared! And also, I know quite a few of you are worried that Fleur is pregnant (she may or may not be, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out!) but I promise you that I am sticking as closely to cannon as possible - hinthint!- And so please don't worry cannon lovers! **

** As always, suggestions and requests are always welcome!**

** Much love!  
~President-Of-S.P.E.W**


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